The John Oliver Jokebook

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

No, don't worry, that's not the name of his new BBC3 series.

Here, everyone, are the two jokes he told on 28 Acts In 28 Minutes last night:

People say we should look after the environment for 'our children's children' don't they? But what if I don't have any children? What's the point in spending what is [BRENT] *quite a lot of money* on hypothetical children? Anyway, I know kids - show a child a beautiful stream and a shiny bike, and I'll show you a child sitting on a bike pissing into the stream.

Does that work? Not really, since a child with a bike presumably likes the great outdoors quite a bit, but this is the one that got me:

Now, democracy. People say the turn-out at the last general election was the lowest since 1918. But people had more to worry about in 1918, didn't they? What with being dead and everything. So cut them a bit of slack.

I'm sorry, but *what*? Did he mess that one up?

He either meant 'lots of people were dead in 1918 due to WWI', or he meant 'the people who voted in 1918 are all dead'. But neither of those work as observations or as jokes. Maybe people in the Nathan Barley thread are right and humour no longer needs to involve actual comedy.

John Oliver, ladies and gentlemen!

[SimonJT]

He was quite funny on that Jeremy Hardy end of year review, I thought. Mind you, I can't remember any quotes with which to back that up...

[zozman]

Yay - I bought tickets to see Jeremy Hardy today.  Ooops, soory for the hijack, as you were men.

[Johnny Yesno]

Maybe people in the Nathan Barley thread are right and humour no longer needs to involve actual comedy.

Ooh! It's a reflex with you, isn't it?

[butnut]

Unless he was refering to the mass influenza that killed millions just after WW1 - but even then it wouldn't have made sense. Had he said, 'they were too busy with flu' it would have made a bit of sense, although still wouldn't have been funny.

[benthalo]

Now, democracy. People say the turn-out at the last general election was the lowest since 1918. But people had more to worry about in 1918, didn't they? What with being dead and everything. So cut them a bit of slack.

We reacted in the same way when he told that joke on The News Quiz last week. It was bewildering then, but given the nature of 28 Acts that clearly is one of his best two jokes. Surely these things are measured out as percentages anyway.

He was performing at our local pub on Sunday on the same bill as Lucy Porter, but we're not total gluttons for punishment.

[hansen mork]

Maybe it was meant to be like the joke-
Whats red and invisible?
No tomatoes

[The Mumbler]

Most of my experience of John Oliver has been of seeing a man deliver an observation of the "bleeding obvious" variety, and then vacantly throw up his hands to indicate that he's reached the punchline.  [More than enough evidence of this in The Comic Side of 7 Days, which sounds like a religious magazine show, but is in fact a dreadful attempt at satire on BBC Three which I've already kicked at length on another thread]  John, anyone could do your job as well (ie as badly) as you.

[alan strang]

"The MAGISTRATE!"

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

"The MAGISTRATE!"

'Yeah, that'll work...' (closes notebook, slurps beer awkwardly)

[Paul Dee]

Best place for this I reckon.

I've just found out that John Oliver is headining the Theatre Stage at Oxford's Truck Festival this weekend. Since his set doesn't clash with any bands I'm interested in seeing I think I might go and check him out just to see if he has any jokes other than the three he gets out of his suitcase at  those panel shows I've seen him on. I don't expect it to be any good but he's only on for half an hour (ten minutes a joke?) and I really am curious in a masochistic sort of way.


It's just strange since the festival is rather small and I assumed they'd have comedians who I'd never heard of. Jason John Whitehead is on before him. Is he worth checking out?

[A Passing Turk Slipper]

For similar reasons, I am going to see Ross Noble who I don't really like in August. I don't think I've ever enjoyed his stand up or tv show appearances (although Ross Noble Goes Global was okay I suppose), but he's playing my local theatre which is really a very small venue and it should be quite interesting to see how it goes. Not sure why he is performing here, it probably only seats a few hundred at the most. Sadowitz was maybe going to perform here as well which would have been tremendous to watch, I would have loved to see the look on all the townsfolk faces as he walked on and started his routine. Fell through though annoyingly.

[Ron Superior]

Does that work? Not really, since a child with a bike presumably likes the great outdoors quite a bit

Doesn't that seem like quite a naïve thing to think?  I have to say when I see "youths" tearing up a shopping centre on their bikes my first assumption isn't 'aah, the little tikes must really love the great outdoors!'  It's normally more along the lines of 'did he just flob on me?'

[Banana Woofwoof]

I tried to convince alan strang to give him syphillus in a picture he had to do.  He didn't, but I secretely have.  Given him syphillus, that is.

Fnar.